Edwardian 9ct Chinoiserie Swallow Locket

Here we have an archetypal Edwardian 9ct yellow gold front & back heart locket, hand engraved with flying swallows and botanicals. We love the whispy, chinoiserie design of the swallows. Swallows represent fidelity or loyalty, and everlasting love. This locket is in great condition considering its age (over 100 years old). Some people feel odd about keeping the original photos inside antique lockets. We feel keeping them in their locket, is something that should be embraced, if anything place a relevant photo on top. Otherwise, images such as the one here of the Edwardian beauty, will forever get lost.

Circa: 1900s
Design Period: Edwardian
Material: 9ct Yellow Gold
Form: Heart Shaped
Motif: Swallows
Style: Chinoiserie - The exploration of the new world, it draws inspiration from nature, in particular birds, flowers and garden scenes. The designs are usually asymmetrical and are inspired by Chinese furniture, objects and wallpaper. 
Technique: Hand Engraving

Edwardian & Belle Époque Period (1901 - 1910):

Named after the reigning King Edward VII and with notable influences from French Rococo décor, this period was the shortest in antique jewellery history. However, it was during this time that platinum was introduced into the art of jewellery making which changed the way diamonds could be set. The popular jewellery design at the time was the “garland” which flowed on from the Art Nouveau period as it focused on nature but more particularly, on flowers and leaves often arranged in some circular shape. Through the use of milgrain and pierced and engraved metals, the Belle Époque designs gave way to jewellery that mimicked the delicate nature of lace and ribbon with natural pearls and old mine cut diamonds being the material of choice.